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tv   FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace  FOX  September 30, 2012 9:00am-10:00am EDT

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>> chris: i'm chris wallace. the romney-ryan ticket turns to the debates, to try to narrow the gap against president obama. ♪ >> chris: with 37 days until the election, we go on the campaign trail, with paul ryan. >> this is a high stakes election, we are giving the country a clear choice. >> chris: and sit down for an exclusive interview in which we discuss the economy, the new focus on national security. and, growing criticism of the romney campaign. paul ryan, only on fox news sunday. then... we'll preview wednesday's first obama-romney debate. we'll ask our sunday panel which each candidate needs to do to win the first first off.
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and our power player of the week, has spent almost half of his life, telling the inside story of how a president rose and fell from power. all, right now, on fox news. ♪ >> chris: and hello again, from fox news in washington. with just five weeks until election day, a new poll showing president obama leading in key swing states, the presidential debates may be mitt romney's last, best chance to turn the race around and we wanted to find out what the romney-ryan plan is when they face off against obama and biden. we caught up with running mate p ryan, saturday in derry, new hampshire. before we sat down for an exclusive interview, we spoke briefly as he was about to take the stage for a campaign town hall. >> chris: what do you think? just before you go out on stage, each time? >> president obama is taking us in the wrong direction and emerging market and i are offering them a different direction and i'm excited at the
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opportunity to give people the chance to pick that choice. that is what gets me excited about this. >> thank you so much for coming out, everybody... >> chris: welcome to fox news sunday. >> thanks, chris, welcome to new hampshire. >> chris: thank you. what does governor romney need to do wednesday night in the first debate. >> he needs to give the american people the choice we are offering. that is what we are doing. we owe the country a country clear choice of a different future. we can either have a dynamic, growing economy, that produces opportunity, or, we can have a stagnant economy this fosters dependency and can stick with the failed policies of the last four years, the next four years and we need a brighter future. stagnation versus growth. dependency, versus opportunity, and upper mobility. that is the classic choice, the clear difference we are offering, and so what we hope people get out of this debate, is that choice. >> chris: well, it is interesting, because for the lasting, i don't know six months the romney campaign said this is
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the referendum on barack obama's record. now you are saying, it is a choice. >> it is not a change in strategy, it is' phase of the campaign we've entered into, because i think it is important, the president is trying to paper over his problems. the president has been trying to mislead and distort the record. it is failed record and we think it was important to point that out. look at unemployment, our poverty rates, the 23 million people struckling fggling for w it is important, people need to understand, we can get the country back on track and mitt romney offers the leadership and policies and principles that enable us to do that. >> chris: it is clear that you two, you and romney, are trailing in the polls, especially, in the key swing states, and there are a growing number of top republicans who say that romney needs a clear victory. not a wash, a clear victory on wednesday, or else, the donations will dry up and so will the grassroots support. >> first of all, the polls are
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close. this is going to be a close race an -- >> but you are trailing. >> we are running against an incumbent president and running against and in become kent president with incredible importantly, i don't think one event is going to make or break this campaign. look, president obama is a very gifted speaker. the man has been on the national stage for many years. he's an experienced debater and has done these kinds of debates before and this is mitt's first time on this kind of a stage... >> chris: 23 debates during the primaries. >> what people will see is who is mitt romney. what kind cough a president is he going to be and what are the choices i have? to me that matters, in this particular debate and all the debates. which is, i know what president obama has done and all of the empty promises and broken promises and the ugly, stagnant economy, what areitt romney and paul ryan offering to get us back on track, and i think that is what we'll get out of wednesday and if we get that out of wednesday the country understands the choice they have to make.
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>> chris: governor romney plans to make a major foreign policy speech in next two days. do the two of you think the president engaged in a cover-up in his and the administration's explanation of what and at the u.s. consulate in benghazi. >> i'll let others decide that, there are democrats and republicans in congress calling for an investigation, as we need to have. the response was slow, confused, inconsistent. they first said that it was a youtube video and apontaneous mob and now we know it was a planned terrorist attack. if this was one tragic incident that would be a tragedy in and of itself but it is part of a bigger picture of the fact the obama foreign policy is unraveling, literally, before our eyes and our tv screens and, what mitt romney is going to do, is lay out a very different vision for foreign policy. one, that is a policy of american strength versus what i articulate or claim the president's policy is one of weakness, we are seeing the ugly fruits of the obama foreign
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policy unravel around the world on our tv screens, syria, 20,000 dead people, iran closer toward a nuclear weapon. the middle east peace process is in shambles and, we have flags being burned all around the world. russia is thwarting us at every stage in the process. this is a weak foreign policy. with terrible results. which makes us less safe. >> chris: let me pick up on a couple of those. syria, governor romney would not put u.s. troops on the ground in syria and, the red line is where barack obama's is, there is no big difference -- >> sure there is, iran, the biggest threat we have. the different is credibility. the president's iran policy lacks credibty. what i mean when i say that is, the ayatollahs in iran, they have to make a decision to stop pursuing a nuclear weapon, and, pursue a peaceful resolution. but they are no doing that. and i would argue that is because the president doesn't have credibility.
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he fought and resisted tough sanctions, to the last moment and he was silent on the green revolution while e we had a chance for a peaceful up rising for democracy that cracked down. when he puts the military option on the table he does it in a way that doesn't have credibility, baugh his administration sends out mixed signals such as, they are more about an israeli attack -- >> let me give you an opportunity to establish instant credibility and a difference, netanyahu, the israeli prime minister gave a dramatic speech at the u.n. and had a drawing of a bomb and drew a red line. >> saw that. >> chris: and said if iran amasses that amount of medium enriched uranium, enough to make a bomb, we have to strike. would you and governor romney put the red line the same place, that benjamin netanyahu did. >> what mitt romney and i said, is a nuclear weapons capability is what we have to stop. now, we have to stick with credibility. that means, a romney-ryan administration will be one of credibility and we don't
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establish daylight between the allies, especially israeli and say what we'll do, it is believed. that is the issue here. the ayatollahs, by virtue of their conduct, don't believe the president when he says his interest is in stopping -- >> but, you wouldn't put the red line anyplace different -- >> the preside moved his rhetoric a bit to look more like ours and that is good but the problem is, it is built upon a mountain of non credible action. i have been in congress a number of years and we have been fighting for tough sanctions since '09 on iran and the administration resisted us and tried to stop us from doing this, until overwhelming bipartisan support for the cripsaling sanctions, the administration came on board and when we send the signals overseas the ayatollahs, don't think we are that serious because they are racing toward a nuclear weapon. four years closer. and syria is a good example, when you hesitate and don't speak with clarity and projector confidence in american values it projects weakness and equivocation and when you gut the military as the president is
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proposing to do, it shows we are weakening our resolve and our military, and when you project weakness like this, bad things happen and look what is going on around the world. >> chris: wednesday is not going to focus on foreign policy, it will focus on domestic policy, by thele, especially the economy. looking back over the historical record, the question is why aren't you guys running away with this race? let me put up statistics. unemployment is 8.1%. no president has won re-election with unemployment that high, since fdr in 1940, gdp growth the second quarter, just announced, 1.3%. we checked, no president has won re-election, with gdp growth that low, since they started measuring growth, in 1930. question: given all of that, why are you and romney losing at this point. >> we are not losing this race, we're going to win -- >> but you are not at th point, are losing. >> we can debate polls. i can tell you: the president is offering four
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more years of the same and has been good at distorting the issue and disguising the truth. he's been very good at distracting people. he can't run on hope and change anymore, and he's running on division, on distraction, on distortion to try and win an election by default. mitt romney and i are going to give people a very clear choice, here's what you need to do and here's the pro-growth policies, to get the economy going and economic opportunity and increase more take-home pay for the middle class an out of poverty into the middle class an economic opportunity and job security and we'll show the country, here's what you need to do to tackle these probl >> chris: congressman, mitt romney has been campaigning for two years, there are only five weeks left in the campaign, forgive me, but i want to look at a couple of polls here, according to a "wall street journal" survey, 4 2% of americans think the economy will get better in the next year and 18% worse, and 32% say it will stay the time and a "new york times" poll, asked who can handle the economy better, obama
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leads romney 6 points in ohio and five in florida. with five weeks left, months, years of campaigning already past us, isn't he in danger of losing the rationale for his campaign, that he the better steward of the economy? >> you know, in these kinds of races people really focus near the end. and that is happening now. the president is trying to distort our record and our pro-growth tax reform cuts taxes 20% and higher take-home pay for middle class and pro-growth economic policies, that creates about 7 million jobs. so, the final analysis, people will realize, all the president is offering is more of the same with another round of stimulus and higher tax rates on job creators. we are offering very specific reforms, how do you save and shrink the medicare and social security and prevent the debt crisis and grow jobs, how do you have an interview policy that unleashes american internally and has energyindependence? >> chris: here's my question, though, the fact the message has not gotten through as effectively as it could, so far, is that your fault?
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the romney campaign's fault or the voters fault. >> look, i think the president has done an effective job at trying to confuse the issue and disrupt positions an distract people, but, at the end of the day i don't think that will work. >> chris: any responsibility... >> look, we are going to prosecute the campaign, in the way that we have always planned, we'll give the country a very clear choice. you want stagnation and dependency, growth or opportunity and so, we are offering those specifics. the problem, we have had, is, nobody knows all the specifics we put out there and the plans -- a five-point plan for a stronger middle class and not everybody knows we have the solutions that will give people better job security. >> chris: let's talk specifics. >> president barack obama: no matter how many times they tell you they are going to talk specifics, really soon... they don't do it! and, the reason is, because the math doesn't work. >> chris: you are the master of the budget, briefly, let's go through the plan. the obama camp says independent groups say if you cut those tax
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rates for everybody, 20%, it costs $5 trillion over ten years. true? >> not in least the bit true. look, this goes to show if you tor fewer statistics... that study has been so discredited. it wasn't a measurement of mitt romney and his policy. here's what we are saying -- >> how much would it cost. >> revenue-neutral. >> chris: i'm talking about the -- we'll get to the deductions. the tax rate. >> the cut in tax rates is lower all americans tax rates, 20%. >> chris: how much does it cost. >> it is revenue neutral. >> chris: it's not unless you take away the deductions. i'm asking you -- we'll get to that in a second. first half, lowering the tax rate. how much -- does it cost $5 trillion. >> no. no. look, i will give you a baseline, what this is about. we're saying, limited deductions, to lower tax rates for everybody and start with it people at the higher end, here's the way it works. i have been on the committee for 12 years. both parties, republicans and
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democrats have junked up the tax code with give aways and tax breaks, we're saying keep your money in your pocketbook and business and family, in the first place and the way it work today, you send more money to washington, and, then if you do what washington approves of you can have some of it back and we are saying keep it in the first place and every time we have done this, whether it was ronald reagan working with tip o'neill the idea -- there has been a traditional democrat and republican consensus, lower tax rates, broadening the tax base works and you can, but i -- >> i don't, you haven't given me the math. >> well, i don't know... it would take too long to go through all the math. let me say it this way: you can lower tax rates 20% across the board, by closing loopholes and still have, the middle class, things like charitable deductions, home purchases, health care. what we are saying is, people are going to get lower tax rates and, therefore, will not send as
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much money to washington, and will keep it and decide for themselves. we've dont and created economic growth. >> chris: if, suppose, that the doubters are right and president obama takes office and -- >> i've run the numbers in congress, they do. we have five other studies that show -- >> let's assume it doesn't. the question is what is most important to romney, will he scale back on the 20% tax cut for the wealthy? would he scale back and say, okay. we'll have to raise taxes for the middle class? i guess the question is, what is most important to him, in his tax reform plan... >> keeping tax rates down, by lowering tax rates, people keep more of the dollars they've earned and that matters and that is incentive and pro-growth policy. aneates 7 million jobs and -- >> so that is more important -- >> than anything and more importantly, it is not what deductions are in the tax code but who gets them. and, don't forget, that the higher income people have a disproportionate amount of the loopholes they use and when you
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close a tax write off or a tax shelter for a high income person, more of their income is... so you can lower tax rates and that is where we begin, the deduction and loopholes to higher income people allows us to lower rates across the board and afford preferences for middle class taxpayers. >> chris: governor romney took heat for the 47% video and he told big donors that 47% of the country is actually -- actually 46% don't pay federal income tax and view themselves as victims. fox news did a poll this week and found 79% think all americans should pay at least some income taxes. do you think it would be good if every american paid federal income taxes, even if it is a dollar, $2, some skin in the game? >> we don't think imposing new taxes on anybody is a good idea. the only person running for president, who is proposing higher taxes is president obama.
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so, our point is, we... >> chris: bush tax cuts -- >> tax breaks. he passed the obamacare taxes and a dozen hit middle income taxpayers breaking the promise and he proposes a maxive tax increase on job creators in january and to go to your question, we don't think the idea or solution is to impose new taxes on low income people, we want people out of poverty and back to the middle class, why our economic policies are designed to create jobs, and opportunities so people can get higher take-home pay and the key is this: get people from not paying income taxes because they've had incomes to the middle class so they have jobs that have higher take-home pay and they pay taxes, we want to create more taxpayers and don't wan to tax more people with bad tax policy, we want to create taxpayers by growing the middle class and getting people back to work with higher take-home pay and the secret is economic growth, chris. look, the premise of the conversations, the premise of tax -- your tax reform point is, as if the economic pie is fixed
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and it is the governor's tribe to redistribute it. that is not true or how the world works, we want to grow the pie and we want economic opportunity and people to be able to get a better job, have more income security and higher take-home pay and you can do that through economic growth, what we are trying to provide. what we can get, if we put the pro-growth policies in place. >> chris: a number of top republicans say when romney picked you as his running mate a little over a month ago they thought that this indicated you guys were going to run a bold reform agenda campaign. and, they are now expressing frustration that, instead of you changing romney, you have heard this, they've feel that romney is changing you, and you are running a much more cautious campaign, and, even your own good friend and wisconsin home state governor, scott walker, has gone on the radio to complain about this. >> i feel, the passion that paul has, transfer overo the
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nominee and i think, a little bit -- a little bit of push back from the folks in the national campaign. >> chris: he says he doesn't see passion, he doesn't see reform, he doesn't see fire in the belly. >> scott is a good buddy of mine and has been a good backer of mine, come out to me with mitt and myself to ohio, to iowa, to north carolina, to virginia, to florida. attend our town hall meetings. we were walking people through how we fix medicare and social security and create jobs and reform the tax code and have an energy policy and education policy and a trade policy, and, mitt romney has put out more specifics on how to revive the economy and how to get people back to work than the income bebt president of the united states has, so, i hear the hammering in washington and, the process, and, come out into these states and see what we are talking about. see the forceful case we are making for economic opportunity, see the specific plans we're putting on the table, the bold solutions, mitt romney never
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once asked me to temper anything down, he said go out there and sell this. >> chris: you talk about the hand-wringing and there was a report, this weekend, that you were talking to conservative commentators, trying to get them to stay on board and not to jump ship and get discouraged, but in the course of the conversations you have admitted the campaign made missteps. >> i think, first of all, 47%, mitt, acknowledges himself, that was and in articulate way of describing how we are worried, more people are dependents on government, because they have no economic opportunities and, what we are trying to do to create upper mobility and reduce dependency by getting people off welfare and back to work and yes, we have had missteps, but at the end of the day the choice is really clear. and we are giving people a very clear choice. we have pro-growth solutions, opportunity and upwardobility and a dynamic economy, you have
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a president promises four more years of stagnation and dependency, like the last four years and here and there we haven't been able to frame the choice clearly and i believe by the end of the day people will understand exactly what they've got and the choice they have. >> chris: do you think the mainstream media is carrying water for barack obama? >> i think it kind of goes without saying. that there is definitely media bias. i'm a conservative person and i'm used to media bias and we expected it going into this. that is why we are trying to cut through and go straight to people, why, when you hear people in washington complain about media bias and come out to the states with us and attend our town hall meetings. >> chris: where have you seen it in this campaign where you feel they are judging you and mitt romney by one standard and obama -- >> i will not go tit-for-tat but i believe there is a media bias and anybody with objectivity would believe that. >> chris: you think the mainstream media wants barack obama to win. >> you have to ask mainstream media that.
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>> chris: no, what do you think. >> i think most are left of center and want a very left of center president versus a conservative president. >> chris: they want obama to win and romney to lose. >> i don't know, i'll let you decide what people want. what is in their hearts and minds. but, obviously, we are offering conservative reforms that are proven ideas to grow the economy, and we want to reapply our nation's founding principles to fix the problems and i would argue the president is replacing our founding principles. >> chris: we have been talk about the presidential debate on wednesday but the following week you have your own debate, vice presidential debate against joe biden and i know you have been watching tapes of joe biden and i know you will play the expectation game and say he's the greatest debater, since... i don't want to hear that. what i do want to hear is, you are a football fan and watch tapes, games, what are his techniques and tricks? what are his... >> he's fast on the cuff. he's a witty guy. he knows who he is and he has
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been doing it for 40 years. so, you are not going to rattle joe biden. joe biden has been on the national stage, ran for president twice, a sitting vice president. what i hope to achieve is to give people an alternative. a very different governing philosophy, different policies, and, joe is very good on the attack. joe is very good, at trying to confuse the issues. so, that the person who leaves the debate is not confused about who strands fands for what. >> chris: you have ted olson, supreme court appellate lawyer, respected in the country, and won bush versus gore as your standin. >> ted olson is one good debater and i hope joe biden shows up more than ted olson, he's one of the best litigators in america but what ted has done is studied joe biden's tapes and record and
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joe biden's, john style and said, as you know, one of the best litigators in america and is good at adapting to that. chris: have you got lines already prepared, attack lines. >> i'm not a "line" guy, i'm more of a gut guy. i'm more of a -- you know me well, i don't try to be anybody other than who i am. i believe in what i believe. i do what i do, and i really believe in the policies we're providing, we are pursuing. and, at the end of the day, i am just going to go in there and be me. >> chris: are you hoping joe biden makes one of his -- >> i don't think he will. he doesn't do that in debates, the gaffes, he's legendary for this, that is not in these kinds of situations, he's a very disciplined person when he speaks in these kind of situations and doesn't produce gaffes in these moments, those are when he's off the cuff, on the stump, out giving speeches. >> chris: you are not counting on one. >> no. >> chris: thank you so much for talking with us. >> thanks, chris, appreciate it. >> chris: with that interview we
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have now talked with both men on the republican ticket. but, it has been a different story with the democrats. each week, for years now, we have invite president obama and vice president biden to join us here on fox news sunday and when we last sat down with mr. obama he said he'd be back soon. >> chris: senator obama, thanks for talking with us. >> president barack obama: i enjoyed it. >> chris: don't be a stranger. >> president barobama: i won't. >> chris: but that was april 27, 2008. it has now been 1,617 days since the president's last appearance and, although senator biden appeared on fox news sunday 35 times, it has been 1,841 days since the vice president last talked with us. in the meantime, we and you have had a lot of questions that have gone unanswered. we'll invite them, again, for next sunday. up next, with the first presidential debate now three days away, we'll ask our sunday group what to look for, wednesday night.
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growth >> he's trying to... i don't, and the, i think, during the debate. >> governor romney has been practicing for months and the invasion of normandy took less preparation, than he is putting into these debates. >> chris: well, that was governor romney and top obama advisor david axelrod playing
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the expectations game ahead of wednesday's first presidential debate. it is time for our sunday group, bill kristol of "the weekly standard," liz mar lantas, syndicated talk show host laura ingraham and political analyst juan williams. bill you heard paul ryan say romney will offer the country a clear choice of two different economic futures. is that what he needs to do wednesday? is that enough? >> i think, he needs to win the debate. that is my advice to governor romney and it is time to begin panicking and that means offering his own way ahead and, really explaining why the next four years under president obama will be disastrous, shouldn't focus on the last four years, focus on the next four years and clear choice, and really lay out what four more years of obama policies, in terms of debt and, no economic growth and in terms of a failed foreign policy, would look like, and lay out the romney alternative, and, i think he needs to go right at obama. my advice, ignore jim lehr, and,
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like i do with juan williams... ignore the question and, do not answer jim lehr, speak to obama in the second person, you have failed and here's what we can do differently, to make it a sharp contrast. >> chris: interestingly enough, liz, when i talked to congressman ryan, about the fact that romney needs a clear victory, because of the state of the polls, he pushed back, very much against that. does he need a clear vict >> yes. he does, i mean, i think there is universal consensus he has to shake up the trajectory of his race and a safe performance will not probably be enough at this point. having said that, i think it might not be that hard for romney to get a win in the first debate, challengers tend to get the win in the first debate against the incumbent. >> chris: by the fact they're on the same stage with the president. >> and presidents sometimes feel on some level a little irritated they have to go through this and
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sometimes it customs across and, i think the dynamic, actually, in some ways, all romney has to do and i disagree with bill, he should go after obama hard in the sense that his likability is a problem and, it could be risky but i think romney could win the debate with a genuinely good human moment, something people have been hungering to see from him, if he could have one moment where he gives voters the sense that he is throwing the talking points out the window and telling them, what he really believes and doesn't matter what the issue is, i think, he should connect with voters in some way that, that would actually, probably get him a win. >> chris: how do you see the debate, because we keep talking about romney, what do both of them need to do. >> one point, the debate is the be all and end all, there is not universal consensus there has to be a clear, you know, resounding victory for romney. he has to do well, no doubt but, the benchmark, the debate, the
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debate, falls into the media mean of romney has to perform and if he doesn't it is an excuse of another round of in my mind disgustingly bias pieces against mitt romney and i believe bill is exactly right. when barack obama was challenged in that univision interview, last week, by hojorge ramos, he looks uncrtable when he's confronted with facts and simply worded question, when mitt romney reminds people, we have 11.7 unemployment, not 8.1%, america's best days have to be in front of her, i think he wins, not by having a, quote, human moment. i think that is a fool's earring but having a moment of real leadership and maturity. contrasted with a celebrity president who is comfortable with ellen or any of these late night hosts, than he is talking to the families of these insider attacks. i think romney has to be mature, and forceful, and has this idea,
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it is all in this debate, that is too convenient for the media. >> chris: juan, talk about it. but, because we kind of keep forgetting about obama. what does obama need to do. >> i think, president obama, he's leading in the polls, nationally and leading in the swing states. so, the question is, how do you reaffirm the existing status quo? >> you know, the sense that the sale has been made and he's there, not to seek any sort of dramatic moment, he just wants it to happen and, be history. and, for mitt romney, i think the problem is, i think it came out in your interview, chris, suddenly to hear the republicans talking about a choice election, not a referendum on obama, bill cost crist -- bill kristol says you have to go after obama, not only what he has done in the past but what they should do in the future, but the fact is most people will watch the debate and
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a lot of people will watch, 50 million people, a huge audience. if those people coming to the table will make up that are mind, that will be one thing but most of those people already made up their mind and they are watching for the human moment and watching for the zinger and that is what people will take away. >> chris: i want to talk about the question of media bias laura brought up and, paul ryan discussed it in our inteew. and what he said is he thinks that most of the mainstream media, bill are left of center and they would prefer a very left, as he put it, a very left of center president, to a conservative like mitt romney. how clear do you feel media bias has been in this campaign, pro- or anti-obama. >> pretty clear and conservatives use it as an excuse, and, they've won campaigns before, and, look at the landslide in 2010, and, they demonized the parties, and here's what i disagree with.
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every liberal professor i read, his or her advice to mitt romney, be likable and, you have to take care of the likability deficit. forget it. maybe he could have done it in the summer, he has to be tough and go directly at president obama, and, if the media narrative -- you know, they both did well, nice to have a respectful debate, and they all got along and... right, and then it is over. he has to get under president obama's skin and clarify the choice ahead. >> chris: i want to talk about media bias. i i saw a couple of cases, this is the cover of "time" magazine. mitt romney's been running for president two years, and five weeks before the election, mitt romney's -- they decide, time, they'll do a story on the mormon identity. not about tax reform, not the economy, not about foreign policy, the mormon identity. and, i want to also point out, i think -- i was struck by it this week, this is wednesday's
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"washington post." might have wife points it out to me. the story in the top is, obama issues a challenge. fair enough, the president spoke to the u.n. and that is a big news story and the lead story: ohio, florida, give obama an edge. here's the sidebar story, for obama the buckeye state, ma a bull's-eye. my wife turned to me and said, well, i guess the race is over according to the "washington post," am i overreacting and more importantly, is my wife overreacting to this. >> reportingness of polls, there has been a lot of discussion in particular about the polling and whether the polling is oversampling democrats and all of that. and, you know, to some extent, political reporters report on polls and that drives the their t.v. i would say that to some extent, the biggest problem mitt romney has in terms of media bias ideological bias and they cover him like he's losing and, you w. bush, the ideological bias e has not changed but they never covered george w. bush like he
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was going to lose. >> chris: you look like you will come out of your chair. >> look, the media has been covering this year's events, as if the only thing that matters is who wins in november. we've actually had a president of the united states for the last year, who has spent, i bet, go through his daily schedule, i bet spent 80% of his time running for re-election. i submit if that were a republican president, on a day like we had last week at the u.n., that appeared on a more entertainment focused show, but couldn't meet with our most important ally in the middle east, and that was a single member of a family who has been hit by of these insider attacks in washington, i believe the media would be going nuts. i... >> chris: it is -- wait, wait, wait. juan. >> clearly, the president went to the ceremony, for ambassador stevens and met with the family. i think this is republican conspiracy. there is... if you give the media the 47% statement, if you give the media clint eastwood,
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if you have offshore accounts, guess what? they'll write about it. >> the real unemployment, they'd have that, not more monism. >> they know about the economy and confidence in the economy and the president's ability in the economy has been surging. >> the media... >> chris: we will not focus on media bias any longer, we'll talk about issues and take a break here and when we come back... the terror attack that killed four americans in libya. there are growing questions about what the president knew and when he knew it. ♪ while energy development comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing generations of cleaner-burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self-contained well systems. and, using state-of-the-art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment. we're america's natural gas.
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not quite knowing what the next phase was going to be, you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪
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♪ >> the reason that i think it pretty clearly, it was a terrorist attack is because a group of terrorists obviously conducted that attack on the consulate. >> this is turning into something not short of benghazi-gate. what is going on here? >> chris: defense secretary panetta, finally calling the benghazi assault an act of terrorism. while republican senator bob corker joins a growing number of officials questioning whether the obama administration was involved in a cover-up. and, we're back now with the panel. the director of national intelligence issued an extraordinary statement friday afternoon, that their initial information was, that it was a spontaneous protest, but since then they got new information, they revised their assessment, and they now believe it was a deliberate, quoted, deliberate and organized terrorist attack. question, bill: does that get the obama white house off the hook in their
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shifting explanations of what happened in benghazi? >> well, it shouldn't because it was clear, it was a terrorist attack and leon panetta said it was obviously an attack, before susan rice said it was a spontaneous protest about a video and the president has a big investment in the narrative, is usama bin laden dead an al-queda finished and, it turns out al qaeda and affiliates, al-sharia are capable of launching sophisticated terrorist attacks, and, the day and day after in sudan and tunisia and yemen and we have a war on terror going on and the president doesn't want to discuss that and i tried to pretend it was a spontaneous reaction to a video. >> chris: the timeline that the d. n. i., department of national in -- director of national intelligence and panetta said, we have early information and then got information that changed but, before susan rice did the famous round of five interviews including fox news sunday, the first sunday after
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the attack there was a lot of information released, allegation including the president of libya and i specifically asked about that and i said it was a pre-planned terrorist attack and yet, they were insisting, she was, no, it was spontaneous. >> it was amazing. i was on the panel and we were all surprised that she didn't leave wiggle room and she could have said, we're investigating and don't know much yet and she could have been vaguer. >> chris: the problem -- how big a problem is it. >> they created a bigger problem because of the way that he handled it. i mean, i think the danger for the obama administration is not so much voters are suddenly going to think, oh, he's weak on national security. he has a big, big cushion in the polls now in terms of how voters view his national security policy but i think there are two dangers for him, one the honesty issue which the obama campaign has been hitting hard and trying to come at him in different directions on that, the idea that maybe, you know, they were deliberately dishonest or went with something they had reason to believe might not be true.
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and, i think the other real problem for obama is the appearance of apathy, politically, which romney did when he issued the statement about benghazi, but voters will think, maybe the president is acting more in the interest of his campaign when it comes to national security issues, than really what is in the best interest of the country and those are the two potential weak spots, coming out of this. >> chris: as we reported and came out, in the cores of our interview with paul ryan, mitt romney plans a major foreign policy speech, a major critique of obama's foreign policy in the next few days, probably after the debate. how vulnerable do you think obama's foreign policy is, and how important is it for romney to go after him? >> the mantra, usama is dead, but gm lives, that was a smart thing for them to do. i think today we see things a little bit differently and it is unraveling in benghazi and the question is, why did they send susan rice out?
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why was it snanecessary to go o on five shows and say it was spontaneous. and they can't the fbi get into the benghazi site, and, why are we not in benghazi today? i think, president obama is enormously vulnerable on the point, because i think most americans today question whether we are going to be the world's sole superpower, five years from now or maybe three years from now but it is incumbent upon mitt romney to do the same thing in a way that netanyahu did at the u.n. with the chart. you know, the bomb and the 90% red line. he needs to tie it together. in a really visual way. what is the world going to look like and what will we live like if america is not the unquestioned superpower in the world? and how is the vulnerability translating to the lives of every day americans. does it matter? most people want america to be
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the strongest and want confidence on these issues. >> chris: juan? >> it is obviously taking place in a highly politicd season, in the run-up to the campaign but the timeline, susan rice when she spoke to you, chris gave you the best information she had at that time and what you see now, coming from the dni office, you later saw dumping from general petraeus at cia and leon panetta, is that is what american intelligence was indicating at the time and i think often rice was being forth comes with you and subsequently, according to the dni and petraeus and others, different information has come and the story changed but the current political environment it is made out to be distortioor, they are vulnerable on this and if you look at the polls the american people say, what is going on in the middle east? and now, more and more americans are saying we aren't sure about how president obama's approach to the muslim world worked and
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the romney campaign thinks we can gain traction. in the midst -- >> a record -- >> difficult and... >> chris: one last subject, a couple minutes left. benjamin netanyahu's speech to the u.n., which, if nothing else, will be remembered for the stagecraft of him with that crazy-looking little bomb, looks like a cartoon bomb, drawing, literally, drawing the red line. but, some experts read netanyahu's speech as actually softening his approach to obama, he said he appreciates this obama administration's stance towards iran and seemed to be putting off any possible attack against iran. into next spring or summer. is that the way you read his speech? >> well he's responsible and will not insult the president of the united states but i thought it was an effective speech and classic example of how the media get it wrong and this narrative, were how silly, the cartoonish, the front page of every newspaper -- >> every paper. >> and a lot around the world vaguely about red lines and he
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explained why you cannot allow them to get beyond a certain point and can't -- have to stop them before they get to the switch and go to a nuclear weapon. i thought it was an effective speech and i agree with laura, mitt romney should give an effective foreign policy speech and -- forget about the cover-up, what is happening around the world an afghanistan and the middle east. as a result of our weakness? i think, there is too much focus on the media and cover-up and what said what, when, talk about the reality of effects of obama's foreign policy. >> and about the fact that netanyahu thanked president obama for saying, you know, there is a limit to our patient, the president said we do believe there are times for negotiation and even netanyahu says he doesn't think anything will happen until next summer at the earliest. >> chris: part of that may be, he got blow back for appearing to go too anti-obama in managing the relationship, thank you, panel, don't forget to check out panel-plus where our group picks up with the discussion on our
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web site, socfoxnewssunday.com, and, follow us on twitter, ho h hoish @foxnews, sunday. our power player is next.
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>> chris: still to come our power player of the week. he says he's not a biographer, he's a student of power. how you get it and what you do with it. >> you are at war, because you are constantly saying, look what he's doing now!
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>> chris: stay tuned, we'll be right back.
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♪ >> chris: he's one of our most celebrated historians, who has spent decades telling the story of an american president. and, yet he writes his books in long hand ongal pads. to force himself to go slower, and think more. here's a special power player of the week. ♪ >> you want to know how political power works in america in the last half of the 20th century, sudden, inc. lyndon johnson's life, watching hip exercise power is a way to see what a president c really do. >> chris: robert carroll spent almost half his life telling the story of lbj but he says he's not a biographer, he's a student of power, how you get it and
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what you do with it. and, johnson, he says, was a genius at both. >> chris: how long did you think it was going to take? >> i... ten years. >> chris: and now, we're, what 36 years into this. >> something like that. >> chris: the breadth and depth of the work is stunning, since 1976 he has written four books, 3400 pages, winning almost every award there is starting with the pulitzer and he's not yet to johnson and vietnam. why has it taken so long? when we he look at how johnson was first elected to the senate in 1948, by 87 votes, he ended up writing a book about it. >> nobody has ever looked at a stolen election from beginning and say, this is where the stolen election is... >> chris: and the latest, "passage of power" tells how johnson succeeded john kennedy and saved his agenda. >> he takes legislation that kennedy introduced, that was
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stalled, it really wasn't going to pass, the tax cut bill, civil rights and in an instants, johnson gets it moving towards passage. >> thank you very, very, very much... >> chris: last week, carroll took part in the library of congress book festival on the national mall. and it was clear, he's made johnson come alive for many readers. >> do you like him? >> i don't like him or dislike him, you are in awe of him because you are constantly saying, look what he's doing now! >> chris: he got excited talking about johnson's rise to power. but, as we turn to the final book, he's writing now, about johnson's presidency, in vietnam, his demeanor suddenly changed. >> the story is going to turn very dark. as soon as vietnam enters the picture. it is sort of a tragic story. a story of his great dreams, that are destroyed by a war. >> chris: you are 76 now. do you ever worry that you are not going to have time to finish
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last book? >> well, sure. but, you know, it is not productive to think like that. >> chris: how long do you think it will take you to finish? >> i could say, three or four years, why would you believe me? >> chris: after all, carroll's latest book nook nitook nine ye there is one part of the final chapter of the johnson story that is already written. >> chris: is it true that you already know the last sentence of the book. >> i always have to have a last sentence. to write towards. i have no know what the conclusion is. >> chris: can you tell us? >> no! >> chris: it's a doo of a last sentence. >> well, i hope so! >> chris: he feels the pressure to finish up the johnson story, he also has plans to write another book, on a different subject, after that. as a big fan of his work, i can't wait to read it. and, we'll have a final note, in a moment.
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we've worked hard to keep it. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help people and businesses who were affected, and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy -- and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. we've shared what we've learned with governments and across the industry so we can all produce energy more safely. i want you to know, there's another commitment bp takes just as seriously: our commitment to america. bp supports nearly two-hundred-fifty thousand jobs in communities across the country. we hired three thousand people just last year. bp invests more in america than in any other country. in fact, over the last five years, no other energy company has invested more in the us than bp. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. today, our commitment to the gulf, and to america, has never been stronger.
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>> chris: finally, this program note, stauned to the station and fox news channel for complete comfortable of the first presidential debate in denver. that is wednesday night, at 9:00 p.m. eastern. and that's it for today. have a great week. and we'll see you next "fox news sunday." ♪ captioning by, closed captioning services, inc.
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